Mold for artificial stone.



UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

MOLD FOR ARTIFICIAL STONE.

Specification of L tters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed November 4,1903. Serial No. 179.866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LAKE, a citizen of the United States, residingat Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molds for Artificial Stone; and I do hereby declare the followin' to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to molds for making artificial stone, and has for its object the pro- .duction of a mold of plastic material that can be shaped to any of the forms used for build ing purposes and which after the molding'of the stone and the stone has acquired a set can be removed and modeled into other shapes, without further treatment, at the same time permitting the use of cheap material within the means of stonemakers.

I am aware that plastic materials have been used for making molds; but such plasbefore being suitable for reus" crack and be rendered unfit for use.

'tics have been hardened before bein used,

such as baked or hardened clay, W 'c after,

once baked is unfit for use or if dried be run through a pug-mill with water Furthermore, a large clay moldthat Is driedPilrill aster has also been used, but must be dehydrated and ground fine before it. is in condibeing must tion for reuse, and molds of collogens, such asgelatin and glue, must be cleaned, reheated, and strainedto be used again: Sand has been used; but the bjection to'ithis'mold is that a oernentj rmxturethat is wet enough to fore use.

sorb moisture,

flow when run ina' sandmold will be partly absorbed byth'e sand, the more liquid cement beingdrawn by .capillarity toward the walls of the mold, making thesurface layers of the stone too rich incement and causing them to check orbhip and oftentimes causing a part ofthe niold to adhere tothe castings.

' All of the above objections I overcome b usin a mold of lastic argillace'ous materia whi'o lrnay be either entirely of clay or part clay and sand or other filler. The material is used wet or of'a-consistency readily'to be worked by the hands and is not hardenedbeusing the'material; of the mold a wet or ina p stic state it will-not furtheral.

so that when once filled more.

a material will not have to bea'dded to the nioldafter a short time, asiis'i the "case an dryorbaked' clay molds, plaster, sand,

used for molding ornate capitals, sills,

The clay mold is sufficiently cheap to ble co umns, and other builders stonewoik, at the same time adapted to reproduce exactly the lines of ornate patterns. mixture of clay and sand is placed around the pattern and the attern then removed, and I then preferablyfbut not necessarily,-wet the surfaces of the mold and then introduce the cement mixture, referably in the manner described in my llnited States Patent No. 743,525, dated November 10, 1903.- After a few hours when the stone has acquired its initial set, if found desirable or necessary, I-

sprinkle the mold and stone with water to maintain the clay plastic. Such a mold will The plastic clay or have a smooth molding-surface unless' the pattern has anabraded or indented surface.

In order to produce a simulation to the surface of sandstone, I proceed as follows: After the pattern has been removed from the mold the surfaces are sponged overwith water, and sand is then blown on them from a bellows or blower, the particles of sand partly entering the mold-walls and sticking thereto. The

cement mixture is then put in. By using the clay or the clay mixed With sand in a plastic state, or wet, as it is termed, I need have no care whatever as to the roportions of clay and sand or to carefully se eat a clay for fear The mold is not allowed there is no danger of of it being too fat. to dry out. Hence cracking, and at the same time the mold is ready for'use as "soon asfthe pattern is re moved, there bein no time required for the mold to set or her en before themolding operation can be begun.

In order'to maintain the mold in a lastic state as long as possible, I use 'either'a one or in part a water-absorbing filler, such as sawdust, and we'llwetitbefore mixing it with the clay or clay and sand. To furthersecure lycerin when I a moist or plastic mold add desirable. The-glycerin disso ved in water is either mixed directly with the cla or first with a single filler or agfiller of mix d -materials and t en the filler mixed with the clay. Such a mold material containing a. water absorbent i '11 when suificiently'nioist remain so'forf a long time, maintain the mpld in a plasticstate, and yet not absorb moisture cm the cement material poured into it.

H1 ving thus described my invention, what I cla'im as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. plast omold for artiiicraistone, composed of a plastic material mixed with a filler maintained in a: plastic state-and Whose molding-surfaces'have sand blown into them so that the particles-of sand will partly project from the molding-surfaces, thereby produ'cing a mold in which undercut surfaces can'be molded, aliquid cement mixture can be used to form the stone so as not to distort theundercut molding-surfaces, to produce a stone simulating natural sandstone by reason of the projecting particles 1 of sand from the molding-surfaces, and after the stone is set the plastic mold can be broken from. the stone and reused.-

'2. A- mold artificial stone, composed of an argillaceous materialzmixed WithufLH-absorbing and a' non absorbing filler, and chem:

ical compound capable offretainingwater substantially as described.

3; The method of? making artificial stone,

which consists in formingaplastic mold of a lastic material, blowing samd into the molding-surfaces and filling in the-mold torthe required depth with a cement mixture capahle of bei poured, substantially-as described.

4.T e method of making artificial stone,

whichconsists in forming'a plastic mold of filasticoclayfhlowing sand into the molding-- surfaces, and pouring into the mold a suitable cement mixture, substantially as 'described 5. The method of making artificial stone, which consists informing a plastic moldzof a plastic material mixedwitheanabsorbing and a. non ahsorbing filler; preparing-the; molding v surfaces to' produce indented surfaces simulatiung natural stone, --substantially asidescnbed.

In testimonythat liclaini tlmei foregoing as I my invention I have signed my namezinpresenceof twosubscribingwitnesses.

, r ALBERT-Lana.

Witnesses: v

Hamil" QRTH, Jr.,- 'I-IA-RRY L; AMER. 

